Patents may be down in the United States, but not at the University of Buffalo.

According to Business First of Buffalo, researchers at the University patented 21 inventions in 2008, up from only 9 patents in 2007. These patents range from an X-ray diagnostic apparatus and an air sterilizer, to an antibody with the potential to halt breast cancer metastasis.

Robert Genco, vice provost and director of the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, said in a statement:

The jump we saw this year in our patent activity is a testament to the intense and growing commitment we are seeing among our scientist-entrepreneurs, who increasingly seek ways to get their scientific advances out into society. They know that the most important scientific discovery in the world may provide little value to society if it goes no further than a journal publication.

Hopefully academia will follow UB’s lead, and put more stress on the patenting of applications. That way, these breakthroughs will be made available to a much wider audience.